


here, where love grows

by celine (kaihun)



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Neighbors, Awkward Flirting, Blow Jobs, Bottom Kim Jongin | Kai, Condoms, Fingerfucking, Gardening, Kim Jongin | Kai-centric, M/M, Meet-Cute, Plants, Romance, Romantic Comedy, Roses, Sehun is very flirty and jongin is a dork, Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-12
Updated: 2020-09-12
Packaged: 2021-03-07 00:40:19
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 17,461
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26038051
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kaihun/pseuds/celine
Summary: Jongin doesn’t know shit about plants, but when his handsome new neighbor, Sehun, asks him to plant sit while he's away on vacation, how could he say no?It goes about as well as you'd expect.
Relationships: Kim Jongin | Kai/Oh Sehun
Comments: 20
Kudos: 171
Collections: EXO Home4U - 2020





	here, where love grows

**Author's Note:**

> Written for EXO Home4U 2020, prompt #004
> 
> Past relationships are very briefly mentioned (kaistal and jenkai) and FYI, sekai don't go all the way in the smut scene - I was originally planning a second scene where they did, but then I ran out of time. Hope this is still satisfying in its own way! Fic is unbeta'd, so I apologize in advance for any mistakes.
> 
> A million thanks to the EXO Home4U mods for being so patient and understanding!

🙜

  


“Today’s your last day?” Jongin asked his soon-to-be-ex-neighbor, Minseok, who was in the middle of loading the last of his cardboard boxes into a rental truck. Jongin had gone downstairs to drop off his trash and recyclables before he could forget it was garbage day.

“Yeah, I already moved most of my stuff into the truck on Sunday. There were just a few boxes left in the living room,” Minseok replied. 

“You’ll be missed here, but I know you’re excited for California.” Jongin was a little jealous - he’d been wanting to move to San Francisco ever since he graduated from business school, but he was stuck in New York for the time being.

“I am, man. If you ever get a chance to head to the West Coast, you’ll have to visit me. And you have my number, so don’t be a stranger!”

Jongin agreed, and later on, after he’d waved Minseok off and the rental truck disappeared around the corner, it occurred to him that now he’d have to worry about whoever was moving in to take Minseok’s place.

It had only been six months since Jongin moved into this apartment complex himself, but he felt comfortable here. The noise was minimal because Jongin was on the top floor of a four-story complex, and the walls were pretty soundproof. That, or his neighbors on the fourth floor were quiet people. There was a built-in washing machine in the kitchen, which Jongin loved because having to haul his five laundry bags to the nearest laundromat from his last apartment was living hell. Maybe if he remembered to do his laundry at regular intervals, he wouldn’t have had to haul that many bags in the first place, but oh well. There was also a balcony. It wasn’t big, but there was enough space for a drying rack for his clothes, a small table, and a chair for when he wanted to sit outside and read a book. 

Jongin wasn’t particularly close with Minseok, but out of all his neighbors, he saw him the most frequently. Minseok was always out and about sweeping the hallways and organizing the garbage disposal area. When Jongin had first moved in, he had assumed Minseok was contracted by their landlord. Imagine his surprise when he found out that Minseok was simply a neatfreak.

No one else moved in for another two weeks, but prospective tenants were viewing it on a daily basis and it disrupted Jongin’s flow. The hallway and elevator were bustling with activity almost every time he went out, and it only quieted down after hours. 

By the end of the second week, the visits dwindled down, and Jongin figured the lease had to have been signed. His suspicions were confirmed when he passed by his landlord in the lobby, and he told him to expect more noise than usual in the next couple of days as his new neighbor moved in. What he didn’t expect was to encounter his neighbor so soon, and that said neighbor would be just his type.

He ran into his new neighbor the next day as he returned home from work. All he saw at first was a tall, lean guy carrying a big plant that obscured his face, who was about to walk straight into one of the orange traffic cones placed around a big pothole in the parking lot, which their landlord was supposed to have fixed last week. 

“Hey, watch out!” Jongin called out, and he rushed forward to try to stop the man before he fell.

The verbal warning seemed to do more harm than good, as the man tripped in surprise and almost fell right into the pothole - if Jongin hadn’t swooped in just in time to catch him with one arm. With his other hand, he managed to grab the plant before it completely overturned, though it still dropped with enough force to spray topsoil everywhere and lose a few leaves.

“Uh, are you okay?” Jongin asked the man in his arms, and the proximity of their faces was distracting. Now that Jongin had a good look at him, he was struck by how gorgeous the guy was. It was probably the first time he’d ever considered another man _pretty_ , but what better word was there for the combination of his expressive brown eyes, long lashes, and small mouth with lips the most kissable shade of pink he’d ever seen? But despite his softer facial features, his handsome masculinity was unmistakable, and Jongin found him even more attractive because of it. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you. I didn’t want you to fall into the pothole,” Jongin explained, pointing to the traffic cones.

“Ah, no, I’m okay, thank you," the brunette said in a unique, soft-sounding voice Jongin hadn’t expected from him. “I would’ve twisted my ankle if I did. So, thanks. For, um. Saving me. And my plant!” They continued to stare at each other until a loud cough interrupted them. 

“Sehun?” A tall, lanky man with a wavy perm asked, standing over them with a cardboard box under his right arm. “And who is this?”

“Chanyeol! I almost fell into a pothole, but he saved me.” The man in his arms said, turning to look up at Jongin. “Sorry, what’s your name? I’m Sehun, by the way.”

When he realized his left hand was still gripping the guy’s - Sehun’s - trim waist even though he was standing steady on his feet now, Jongin withdrew it as if he were burned. “I’m Jongin. I live on the fourth floor. Are you my new neighbors?”

“Oh wow, what a coincidence! Yeah, I am at least - I'm moving into room 403. Chanyeol - he’s my best friend - he’s just here to help me.” Sehun replied, and the taller guy waved to Jongin in greeting. 

“Nice to meet you.” Jongin said, then backtracked, after he remembered the circumstances. “I mean-”

“No, I get it.” Sehun laughed, and Jongin felt like he wanted to pull every joke out of his arsenal to hear him do that again. “It’s really nice to meet you, Jongin.”

At Jongin’s insistence to help, they cleaned up some of the soil that got dispersed after the fall together, and Jongin couldn’t help but sneak a few more glances at Sehun’s face while they worked. And when their hands brushed by accident as they were sweeping up the soil, Jongin might’ve been more excited than he was ready to admit.

He offered to help Sehun move more of his boxes, but Sehun was adamant that he had already helped him enough, and they were almost finished moving in, away. Sehun nodded towards Chanyeol, who had gone ahead of them to roll a computer chair into the elevator. 

“Oh, alright then,” he replied, a little sad that they had to part ways now. “I guess I’ll be seeing you around? Um, since we’re neighbors and all.” Jongin laughed, awkwardly. Was he always this bad at conversation?

“See you around, Jongin.” Sehun smiled. “Thanks for the help.”

Jongin was in a crush-induced daze long after he had returned to his apartment next door, washed up, and sat down to watch some television.

It had been a long time since Jongin had felt this attracted to someone, especially after such a brief encounter. His dating experience wasn’t extensive - his first girlfriend was Soojung back in high school. Everyone had expected them to date because their friend groups circled each other, and they had quite a lot in common, interests and personality-wise. It seemed like the easy choice, and it was. They got along well, and liked going to museums for their dates, enjoyed art and photography and film. It took them another two years to realize they weren’t meant for each other, though. They broke up in time for graduation, but it was amicable, and they still spoke from time to time.

He didn’t date again until after he started working at the office, and Jongin made the mistake of dating one of his coworkers at the time, Jennie. It was pretty exciting at first, having to keep their relationship a secret, but even that excitement wore off when their responsibilities at work caused them to clash. Jongin had to learn why people avoided dating coworkers the hard way. The relationship was a whirlwind of five months, and the inevitable breakup was pretty messy. She ended up taking another position offered by a rival company, and they had’t talked since.

That was two years ago, and he hadn’t met anyone else who piqued his interest. It certainly wasn’t for lack of offers, though. He just wasn’t interested in committing to another serious relationship again.

But without the need for attachments, what better time was there to explore his sexuality? Back when he was fifteen, he had accidentally (or maybe not so accidentally) clicked on a gay Pornhub video, and that led him into a rabbithole with a whole world of self-discovery on the other side. He realized he was into guys as much as he was into girls, but he wasn’t comfortable enough to explore that side of him until his mid-20s, now that he had his own place and was doing well for himself financially. It gave him the sense of security he needed to attend to other aspects of his life he had previously put in the back burner.

At a work convention halfway across the country, Jongin hooked up with a man for the first time. The no-strings attached anonymity of it was what convinced Jongin to say fuck it for once in his life. It was a learning experience, no doubt about it. He sure as fuck didn’t know what he was doing. The blowjob he had given might’ve accidentally involved some teeth, and the guy had definitely taken a long time to come. Then when it was his turn, Jongin came in under three minutes. After getting dressed, the guy left without so much as a goodbye.

As bad as the experience was, it opened the doors to a whole other side of Jongin. He'd gone on to cross off a few more things on his bucket list with guys he’d met at bars over the weekend, or while on vacation. But after a while the novelty wore off, and he had to admit that something was lacking in all these encounters: the emotional intimacy he romanticized about, but had not yet experienced for himself.

At the same time, Jongin didn’t want to jump back into dating for the sake of it. While he was too practical to believe in love at first sight - which seemed like a load of bullshit, somehow he knew that when he met the right person, he’d know it was time to allow himself that emotional investment. 

What he didn’t account for was that the first man he’d feel immediate sparks of attraction to would be his new neighbor. For one thing, it seemed like a bad idea in the same way that dating a coworker was - they shared the same space, and if things didn’t work out, it had the potential for getting ugly at worst, and awkward at best. Either way that would suck for both parties, so it seemed best to avoid that kind of situation. And Jongin was getting ahead of himself here - he wasn’t even sure if his neighbor even swung for the same team. If he made a move only to find Sehun wasn't interested in him, that would lead to an uncomfortable situation for the both of them.

The next couple of months would be interesting to say the least, but an innocent crush on his neighbor wouldn’t be hurting anybody. Or so Jongin told himself.

  


🙜

  


Jongin got home from work, and had just entered the elevator when he heard someone shout, “Hold the door, please!”

Looking up, he saw his new neighbor running for the elevator like his life depended on it. Immediately, Jongin stuck his hand out to hold the door for him, knowing that the manual open door button could not be trusted.

“Thanks,” Sehun - he remembered - panted out when he made it to the elevator, and he gave him a sweet little smile that made Jongin want to melt. It was only a smile, Jongin reminded himself. What was he getting so excited for?

“No problem.” He looked over his shoulder to get a better look at Sehun standing next to him, dressed in a white polo shirt and khaki pants that left little to the imagination. His pants weren’t tight - they were perfectly fitted, actually, but he had a considerable bulge that made Jongin salivate, and a full, perky ass, too. But Jongin was only looking respectfully, averting his eyes before his neighbor noticed anything and felt uncomfortable. Wanting to break the silence, he coughed, searching his brain for a neighborly conversation topic. “Coming home from work?”

Sehun nodded. “Yeah, I work at an elementary school in Chelsea. I just got started yesterday, filling in for another teacher on sabbatical.” He sighed. “Fourth graders are hard work, though.”

Huh, so he was an elementary school teacher. Somehow Jongin felt that it suited him. “What? Ten year olds aren’t complete angels? I’m shocked.”

Sehun laughed into his palm and it sounded like music to Jongin’s ears. “You sound like you’ve had your fair share of kid antics.”

The elevator opened up to their floor, and he could’ve sworn the ride to the fourth floor was never this fast. 

“My eldest sister has two kids, and I babysit sometimes,” Jongin continued as they walked down the hallway together.

“You’re an uncle? You seem like you’d be great with kids… you must spoil them a lot,” Sehun said thoughtfully.

“I do,” Jongin chuckled. They reached their front doors now and fumbled around for their keys. “By the way, uh. Have you been settling in okay?”

“Yeah, mostly. Thanks for asking,” Sehun said, leaning his shoulder against the door. He looked like he was trying to prolong their conversation, but that could also be Jongin reading into it too much. Crush aside, he liked talking to him. That was saying a lot, as normally he hated small talk and avoided it like the plague.

“Sorry, am I keeping you?” Sehun asked.

“No, not at all. I don’t exactly have any exciting plans for the evening. Unless you count watching Unsolved Mysteries exciting.” He wasn’t going to try and pretend he had an exciting social life. His life revolved around work, which he really did find fulfillment in. And when he needed to take a break, he had his two best friends, Moonkyu and Wonshik.

“Seriously? That’s what I’ve been watching, too!” Sehun replied, his voice loud with excitement. “Did you see that episode with Rey Rivera yet?”

“Yo, that episode was weird. When his wife found that letter taped to his computer? What the hell was he even talking about?”

The sound of a door opening interrupted them, and Sehun and Jongin watched as their neighbor two doors down (Mrs. Choi, Jongin informed Sehun), peeked her head out to glare at them. Presumably about the noise, or just the fact that they were loitering in the hallway.

“I think this is our cue to disperse,” Sehun whispered, leaning in rather close.

“I think you’re right,” Jongin whispered back and they separated to unlock their doors, laughing to themselves. He tried to ignore how affected he was by his neighbor getting into his personal space - Sehun just seemed to be the naturally friendly type, who was comfortable with getting physically close to people and casual skinship. It didn't have to mean anything.

“Goodnight, Jongin. Enjoy your Unsolved Mysteries marathon,” Sehun replied and he attempted to wink, but both his eyes closed, making the action even cuter.

“Or, you know, just Mysteries,” Jongin quipped. Until now, Jongin realized they hadn’t addressed each other by name since that first day Sehun moved in, and he was pleased Sehun had remembered.

Sehun laughed when he got it. “Clever.”

“I try. Goodnight, Sehun.”

  


🙜

  


Yawning, Jongin brewed a cup of coffee on a lazy Sunday morning and stepped out onto his balcony. He planned to sit outside for a while and leisurely check up on his newsfeed. As he sipped his coffee, he turned back to his laptop to read an interesting article on bee conservation. It engrossed him for a few minutes, until the sound of a sliding door made him look up.

“Good morning!” Sehun called out, voice loud enough to make sure Jongin heard him, though their balconies were so close that he didn’t have to. “Nice boxers,” he added, referring to the bear-print boxers Jongin was lounging around in. 

“Good morning, Sehun, and er, thanks.” Jongin blushed, and he tried to mask it by taking another sip from his mug. Shit, he forgot he wasn’t wearing pants. Feeling self-conscious, he crossed his legs in an attempt to hide his crotch. “I like what you’ve done with the balcony, by the way.”

“Why thank you.” Sehun looked pleased. “I procrastinated about it for long enough, and the weather was nice yesterday so I took advantage of it to decorate.” As he was talking, Sehun moved to lean against the side of his balcony closest to Jongin, resting his elbows on the ledge so he could look over at him. Although Sehun seemed to be awake enough to have changed into a white tee and shorts (they didn’t look rumpled from sleeping in), he was sporting some impressive bedhead that made Jongin wonder if his hair felt as soft as it looked.

“So how’s your plant doing?” Jongin wondered.

“Oh, she’s doing fine. Thanks for saving her the other day.”

“No prob. So you’re into gardening and plants and stuff?” Jongin asked, genuinely curious. There wasn’t a single plant in his own home - not even those succulents that were meant for people like him, mostly because he was afraid of what his brown thumb was capable of.

“Yeah, it’s a recent thing, so I don’t know if I’d call it a hobby, yet. I’m starting small with my first plant and seeing where it goes from there,” Sehun replied. 

“Well, good luck. You seem like a great Plant Dad.”

“Plant Dad!” Sehun repeated, laughing at the phrase. “I love that. But I’ve only had her for a few months, so I wouldn’t rush to say I have a green thumb or anything. I talk to her so maybe that helps.”

“Well, she’s still alive, so you’re doing _something_ right.”

Sehun ducked his chin, looking shy. “I suppose you’re right.”

The shrill sound of a phone ringing inside Sehun’s apartment interrupted their conversation, but his neighbor appeared to be ignoring it, letting it go to voicemail.

“Do you need to get that?” Jongin asked after it rang again a second time. It seemed like an urgent call.

“Oh, uh, yeah. I guess I should check who that is,” Sehun laughed. If Jongin didn’t know any better, he’d think Sehun wanted to talk to him some more. “Enjoy the rest of your coffee.”

“Thanks... you, too.” 

Sehun smiled to himself before reentering his apartment. 

When the sliding door closed, Jongin covered his face with both his palms. _You, too? He wasn’t even drinking coffee, genius._ Jongin liked to think he was pretty articulate, but apparently his new neighbor made him nervous enough to blurt out automatic responses without thinking. Great, now Sehun knew he was a dork.

After chugging down the rest of his coffee, he packed up to head back inside himself. Sunday was for chores, and a full load of laundry awaited him. Staying busy to forget embarrassing moments he wished he could do over was something Jongin was good at.

  


🙜

  


Early on a Saturday morning, Jongin went out for a run. As a casual runner having only recently added high impact cardio to his workouts, Jongin was proud about being able to do three miles in 25 minutes. It was cloudy so the sun wasn’t beating down on him, but the humidity had him sweating like crazy, anyway. The thought of a refreshingly cold shower to get all the city grime off him made him eager to get back to his apartment.

When he entered the building and turned the corner, he saw Sehun in the elevator with the doors already closing. But as soon as his neighbor looked up and caught his gaze, he stuck an arm out to hold the door. Jongin grinned, quickly jogging over so Sehun wouldn’t have to wait long.

“Hey, Jongin! Good morning,” Sehun greeted him, dressed in skinny jeans, a short-sleeved t-shirt, and a baseball cap. He was holding a brown paper bag from the coffee shop across the street, and a tumbler of presumably coffee.

“Hi! Good morning.” When the elevator doors closed, it occurred to him how dirty he must look, with his shirt drenched and clinging to every part of his torso, and his sweaty bangs sticking unattractively to his forehead. They were in an enclosed space, and he hoped to God that he had put on enough deodorant this morning.

“Went out for a run?” Sehun asked, likely just trying to be conversational.

“Yeah. It’s been my new year’s resolution to get fit,” he replied. Drops of sweat were rolling down his temples, and Jongin pulled up the end of his shirt to wipe at his eyes and forehead. When he dropped it and looked back up again, he caught Sehun staring at him - or his stomach area rather - with his mouth slightly open, but it was only for a second. Was he…? Nah, no way. 

“I can tell,” Sehun said in an almost playful tone. Keyword, almost. “Oh, by the way, um. I bought coffee and extra croissants at the bakery.” He lifted the paper bag, indicating those were the contents. “Do you like croissants?”

“I love croissants!” Jongin blurted out.

“Whew, okay, awesome. I wanted to get you something at the bakery, and then when I was next in line I panicked after realizing I didn’t know what sort of pastries you liked. So I settled for croissants because everyone loves croissants. Right?” He looked at Jongin for additional confirmation.

For a second Jongin entertained the idea that Sehun had gone to the bakery just to get him something, but it was more likely that he remembered him as an afterthought. Maybe to thank him for that first day he had “saved” Sehun from the pothole.

“Yeah, who doesn’t love croissants? Everyone loves croissants. Enough not to want to drop them at least.”

Sehun snorted. “Stop making me laugh, I’m going to drop them for real.” He didn’t have an extra paper bag with him, and he had Jongin wait in the hallway for a few seconds as he ran inside his apartment. He came back with a plate piled high with croissants, still warm and smelling quite delicious. “Here you go.”

“Oh man, these are so many. Are you sure?” It was Sehun’s breakfast, and he was cutting his share for Jongin.

“Of course I’m sure, I got them for you. And you can just return that plate anytime, no rush.”

“Okay.” Jongin smiled up at him. “Really, thank you.”

Sehun’s smile was so sweet, and Jongin found it frustrating how he wasn’t able to tamp down the feelings he was quickly developing for his neighbor. Even when they weren't running into each other, he found himself thinking about Sehun often, and looking forward to when they'd get to see each other next. It seemed like more than just sexual attraction at this point, and in a way, that was scarier for him to accept.

  


🙜

  


With a big deadline coming up, Jongin’s next two work weeks were hell. Several all nighters had to be pulled, and during the daytime he was going back and forth across town to meet with several clients.

When he finally submitted the finished project to his boss, Jongin breathed out a sigh in relief. The weekend never looked more inviting, and for once he was in the mood to socialize. His friends invited him out for happy hour at some new tapas bar that opened up not far from his place.

At 6:25, Jongin arrived to find his friends already there, saving him a seat at the bar. Moonkyu ordered him a beer, Cass - not his favorite, but hey, they were treating him. 

“Cheers to Jongin finally coming out with us tonight!”

Jongin chuckled as they clinked their beer bottles. “Sorry guys, you know I’ve been busy with that project. But I’ll have more free time now that it’s finished.”

“No worries, we get it. It just feels like we haven’t seen you in a minute, we miss you, dude,” Wonshik said.

“So what’s new? How’s your new neighbor doing?” Moonkyu inquired, and the way he said _neighbor_ was overly suggestive. Back when Sehun first moved in, Jongin had mentioned their meeting to his friends in passing. And maybe he talked about him a few more times after that, but it wasn’t ever anything incriminating. Just, uh, normal neighbor stuff. But he must’ve had a certain expression, because Wonsik pointed at his face and laughed. 

“Oh shit - is he your type? I knew it.”

Jongin glared at him. “What’re you even talking about?”

“You know exactly what we’re talking about,” Moonkyu replied. “You rarely mention anyone other than your niece and nephew in regular conversation. The amount of times you texted us about this Sehun guy told us all we needed to know.”

“I wasn’t a hundred percent sure, but your reaction confirmed it,” Wonshik said, taking a swig of his beer.

“You guys suck,” Jongin complained, shoving Moonkyu’s shoulder because Wonshik was out of his reach. 

Both of them were aware of Jongin’s post-graduate bisexual self-discovery, and were supportive of his endeavors like the true friends that they were. Maybe a little too supportive, as they were strangely invested in Jongin’s love life and were constantly asking if he had “met any hot guys and/or girls”. Now that he had, and he really _was_ interested, they definitely wouldn’t shut up about it. 

“Anyway it doesn’t matter if I’m into him or not - I think he’s straight.”

“Damn, you would fall for a straight guy,” Wonshik unhelpfully stated.

“Nothing wrong with a crush,” Moonkyu said more supportively. “I mean yeah it sucks if he’s straight and you can’t be more than friends, but like, you never know.”

“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?” Jongin asked.

“I don’t know if I trust your gaydar, man, is all I’m saying. And sometimes I feel like you forget the effect you have on people. You're a chick _and_ a dude magnet without even trying. Kinda not fair.”

Jongin scoffed, not sure how to react to the compliment and insult rolled into one. “Even if you're right, it’s still weird, alright. We’re neighbors, so you can imagine how awkward things could get if we started fucking around and it didn’t work out,” Jongin explained.

“Sounds to me like you’re just finding reasons not to bang him,” Wonshik replied.

“Right?” Moonkyu agreed. “Damn, Jongin, get that stick out of your ass and live your life.”

“I literally hate you guys,” Jongin said, laughing hard enough that his laugh went silent. 

This was why he avoided telling them any details, knowing they were going to make fun of him. But truthfully he was thankful for their friendship and how supportive they were being for him since his sexuality first came into crisis. He prided himself in his ability to read people, which made him picky with his friends. There was a reason he’d kept Moonkyu and Wonshik close to him all these years - they were both chill and open-minded, and their values about life were similar, if not the same as his own. Plus they had all that irreplaceable history together growing up, building the sort of foundation for a friendship that withstood the test of time.

Jongin successfully changed the topic after that, getting Wonshik to talk about his new girlfriend, and this time he and Moonkyu teamed up to embarrass the shit out of him. A couple more beers later, Jongin had a good buzz going, feeling lighthearted in a way he hadn’t been in a while. It was nice to be out with his friends again. While Wonshik had gone to the bathroom to take a piss, Moonkyu nudged Jongin with his elbow, and he looked at him quizzically. 

“So this group walked in a while ago and sat at a table by the door, and this one guy has been staring at you for like ten minutes now, I think you caught his attention.” Moonkyu grabbed his arm before he could turn. “Do. Not. Move. He’s looking at you right now,” he explained. “Okay he’s talking to someone, now look but be quick.”

Jongin turned as surreptitiously as possible, and no, what were the fucking chances - it was Sehun. Spinning back around on his barstool, he faced Moonkyu, eyes comically widened as he hissed, “That’s Sehun.”

“Your neighbor Sehun?”

“Yes, Moonkyu, my neighbor Sehun! What should I do? Do I go over and say hi? Do I pretend I don’t see him?” Jongin panicked. “What’s the protocol for this kind of thing?”

“First of all, relax. Second of all, he’s walking over here right now,” Moonkyu warned. “Act natural.”

What kind of advice was that? It made Jongin sit up a little straighter in his chair (he had a bad habit of slouching) and he tried to look more relaxed by casually taking a sip of his beer. Calm, cool, and collected. That was who Jongin was. When Sehun wasn’t around.

“Jongin? Is that you?” 

Jongin almost choked on his beer but he managed to swallow without requiring CPR. When he turned to face Sehun, the smile on his face was immediate. “Hey!” He must’ve come straight from work, because he looked like a cute nerdy teacher with his now signature khaki pants, and a striking polo shirt and sweater vest combo. And oh man, he was sporting these sexy black-rimmed glasses Jongin hadn’t seen him wear before. He looked even better up close with them on.

“Well, I’m glad it was really you because this would’ve been awkward otherwise,” Sehun laughed. “I thought it was you when I came in a while ago, but I spent the last fifteen minutes debating if I was going to come over or not,” he said shyly.

“Well I’m glad you did,” Jongin replied. “I can’t believe this is our first time seeing each other outside of the apartment, actually. Oh!” He remembered he had to do introductions. “This is my friend Moonkyu. Moonkyu, this is Sehun. My neighbor.” He gave Moonkyu a pointed look that said _play along and act like you don’t already know about him_. “I’m also here with my other friend Wonshik, but he’s on a bathroom break.”

“So you’re the infamous Sehun. I’ve heard a lot about you from Jongin,” Moonkyu said with a smile as he shook Sehun’s hand. “Nice to finally meet you.”

Jongin was going to kill him.

“Oh? Nice things, I hope,” Sehun said, laughing nervously as his eyes darted to Jongin.

“Nice is one word.”

“Ignore him,” Jongin interrupted, needing to reroute this conversation. “Did you come here from work?”

“Yup,” Sehun replied and stuck his thumb out behind him. “Those are my coworkers. They wanted to take me out since they know I’m new to town and don’t know any cool spots. Anyway, sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt you guys but I just wanted to say hi real quick.”

“Oh, okay.” Jongin was disappointed, as he hoped they could’ve talked a bit longer.

“Maybe we could head back home together later?” Sehun suggested. “I don’t know how long you’ll be staying out, though, so it’s fine if you’re planning on leaving soon.”

“I’ll wait for you, it’s fine,” Jongin replied probably too quickly, but it was worth it to see Sehun’s look of relief.

“Cool. I’ll see you later then,” he said with a smile before turning to go back to his table. 

After Sehun left, Jongin glared daggers at his best friend. 

“What did I do?” Moonkyu asked. “Can we focus on the fact that you have a date with him now walking back home together?”

“It’s not a date, it’s out of convenience,” Jongin reasoned. “After all, we’re heading back to the same place. He’s just being nice.”

“Nice? Okay, keep telling yourself that,” Moonkyu said, shrugging. "Seriously, you're in luck, he's gay as fuck, bro."

Wonshik plopped back down on his barstool next to Moonkyu, returned from his bathroom break. “So what did I miss?” 

“Nothing,” Jongin replied at the same time Moonkyu said, “Sehun is gay.”

They went through a couple more beer and tapas rounds as Moonkyu caught Wonshik up to speed. Predictably, he was enthusiastic about the turn of events and stated he was rooting for Jongin. Thankfully they did eventually get bored of cracking jokes at Jongin’s expense, but also because they were getting increasingly drunk and holding extended conversation was tiring. Sitting in companionable silence while they picked at the complementary nuts was nice in itself. His friends could’ve gone home already, but they were prolonging their stay so that Jongin wouldn’t have to sit alone at the bar as he waited. They deserved best wingmen awards.

Every so often, Jongin looked back at Sehun’s table to see if they were finishing up yet. At least once he caught Sehun looking back at him, too, and they exchanged smiles. It was stupid how that simple action gave Jongin butterflies.

A while later, he felt a tap on his shoulder.

“Hey. My coworkers are leaving, so I’m free now...” Sehun trailed off.

“Cool, okay. Yeah, we were going to head out, too, so I’ll close my tab.” He gave his friends a look, and Wonshik got the bartender’s attention to close their tab and pay credit. Jongin covered the tip in cash, despite his friend’s protests that they were going to do it.

After exchanging pleasantries with Sehun, Wonshik and Moonkyu headed out first with some excuse that they had to “catch the train”, though they had more than enough time before the last one for the night. That conveniently left Jongin alone with Sehun for the twenty or so minutes it took for them to walk back to their apartment building.

“Your friends are nice,” Sehun commented after they first parted ways.

“When they want to be,” Jongin laughed. “I’ve known them both since high school, then we went to the same university, and now we all stayed to work in the city. It's a wonder how we're not sick of each other guts.”

"That’s so awesome," Sehun said seriously. "How you’ve all stayed together for so long, I mean. I moved here alone so it kind of sucks that I have to start over, make new friends and all.”

“What about, uh, Chanyeol?” Jongin’s curiosity got the best of him, and he instantly felt bad about prying.

“Oh, he only came with me to help me to move. He actually lives a few hours away, but he’s planning to visit when he can. I really miss him, but we still video chat every day. Or try to, at least.”

Was something going on between him and Chanyeol? Maybe Moonkyu and Wonshik were right and his neighbor wasn’t as straight as he had assumed. But Jongin didn’t want to make Sehun uncomfortable by feeling like he had to explain his private life to Jongin any more than he already had - not when he wasn’t divulging that information on his own. They had only met recently, and as an introvert, Jongin wouldn’t like it if someone tried to get him to overshare. He sought to change the subject, then thought of a good segue. 

“I’ve moved around a few different neighborhoods, but I’ve always lived here in the city,” Jongin explained. “So I can’t imagine what it’s like having to start life somewhere completely different. But I’m down if you ever need a friend to hang out with. I know a few cool places, at least.” He hoped that came off as casual.

“A friend, huh?” Sehun looked thoughtful, then nodded. “That sounds great.”

The conversation was easy all the way back to their building, with Jongin rambling on about his favorite places to sightsee. Before they went back to their apartments, Sehun suggested they exchange phone numbers for potential future hangouts, and in case they had to contact each other about neighbor stuff, too. He seemed shy about it and told Jongin he meant to ask earlier, but totally forgot until now. Jongin readily agreed, and he assured Sehun he could text him anytime. Internally, he was freaking out, unable to believe he had gotten Sehun’s number without trying.

Jongin was filling up a glass of water in the kitchen when he got his first text from Sehun, and he smiled at the message:

  


_Goodnight, Jongin. Thanks for walking me home._

  


🙜

  


They started texting regularly after that, though the conversation topics were very much in the neighbor zone. Nevertheless, Jongin looked forward to them.

It was Jongin’s day off, and he was in the middle of reading a Murakami novel when he got a text from Sehun asking if he was free. He had a request that would be better explained in an actual phone call.

So he called Sehun back, who picked up instantly. It was nice hearing what his voice sounded like over the phone for the first time.

“Hey, Sehun! I’m free, I’m home right now. What’s up?”

“Hi! Okay, so. I ordered a bed in a box and I got a notification that it was delivered, only to find out they dropped it off in the lobby. I thought they’d bring it up to my apartment and that installation was included, but I guess not. That’s probably why it was so discounted,” Sehun sighed. “I thought I could do it myself, but it’s super heavy…”

“So you need help bringing it up?” Jongin asked.

“If you don’t mind, yes! But if not that’s totally fine, too. Sorry, I just didn’t know who else to ask, especially at this time of night. I don’t mean to impose!”

“Don’t worry, Sehun, I got you. It’s no problem at all. Are you still downstairs?”

“Yeah I am.”

“Okay, I’ll meet you there.”

Just two days ago, Jongin had ordered a folding hand truck from Amazon for precisely the reason of moving multiple, heavy boxes with ease. He frequently ordered online, and it was cumbersome having to make multiple trips up and down the elevator when he had more than one package he could carry at a time. What a coincidence that he’d also gotten it just in time to help Sehun out with it, too.

When Sehun saw him exit the elevator with the hand truck, his eyes lit up. “Kim Jongin, you are a lifesaver.”

Jongin grinned. “Anytime.” He loaded the large box on, and used his foot to kick the hand truck forward so that he could use his body weight to tilt it back. Then he wheeled it into the elevator that Sehun was holding open. After making sure Sehun’s feet were a safe distance away, he released the weight back down on the elevator floor. Casting a glance at Sehun, he was surprised to find him staring at Jongin’s arms.

Sehun coughed when he saw Jongin noticed. “Wow. You’re, uh, really strong.”

“I lift a little,” Jongin replied, feeling shy. “But this isn’t that heavy, since the hand truck is doing most of the work,” he pointed out.

“If you say so. Even if I had one of those, I don’t think I’d be able to wheel it on my own.”

“You’re welcome to be my gym buddy, if you wanted to start,” Jongin suggested, a smile playing on his lips.

“Maybe. I’ll get back to you on that,” Sehun laughed.

The elevator doors opened, and Sehun hurried out first to unlock his door as Jongin followed behind him.

“Where should I put this?”

“The living room for now,” Sehun decided. “Do you mind waiting while I clear a path to my bedroom? My bad, I didn’t think to do that earlier.”

“Sure,” Jongin replied. “Wait, so did you not have a bed this whole time? Where have you been sleeping?”

“This is embarrassing but no, I didn’t. I was sleeping on the sofa for a while. And then an air mattress. Don’t judge me but I was waiting for a good deal to order a bed and mattress combo! But then work got hectic and I kept putting it off until now,” Sehun explained. 

“No judgment whatsoever, Sehun. I just feel bad. That must’ve been terrible for your back.”

“Ugh, it really was. I have the worst knots in my neck and shoulder area. And my lower back, too.” Sehun complained. “Are you any good at giving massages?”

Woah, was Sehun inviting Jongin to put his hands on him, or was this his way of joking? Jongin was feeling hot under his collar, imagining getting his hands all over that creamy skin, and Sehun's little sighs of pleasure as another knot came undone. 

“Not to brag, but I’m pretty good at massages,” Jongin said before he could back out. “I had to be, because my older sisters used to make me massage their feet.” 

Sehun laughed loudly, his eyes turning into crescents. “Being the youngest sibling sucks, huh?”

“Yeah,” Jongin chuckled. “My sisters were the worst growing up, practicing make-up on me like I was their doll and everything. I love them, though.”

Sehun smiled, and they stared at each other silently for a while until Sehun remembered what he was supposed to be doing. “Okay, let me clear the path real quick. Wait right here!”

As he waited in the living room while Sehun moved things around, Jongin curiously eyed his surroundings. Sehun was a natural at interior decorating, as the space was aesthetically-pleasing in a way that wasn’t trying too hard to be.

Stepping closer to the bookshelf, Jongin’s eyes swept across Sehun’s selection of books, DVDs, and other knick-knacks that might give him a more insight into Sehun’s interests and personality. He knew Sehun enjoyed a good mystery and liked plants, but what else was he into? What kind of music did he listen to? Was he an animal lover like Jongin?

Sehun popped his head back into the living room, telling him the coast was clear and to follow him into his bedroom. Jongin wheeled the box in, and he noted the air mattress Sehun had propped up against the far wall. 

“I could help you set the bed up,” Jongin offered.

“Oh man, thank you! I wasn’t going to ask because you’ve already helped me so much - but I’d really appreciate it. I’m not good with tools and uh, building stuff.”

Jongin grinned. “I happen to love this kind of thing, so it’ll be fun for me. Don’t tell anyone, but I still play with Lego kits. It’s one of my hobbies.”

“Your secret’s safe with me,” Sehun smiled. “But seriously, there’s no age limit to enjoying what you like. I hate whenever people say it's 'weird' to do keep doing certain things as we get closer to 30, as if adulthood is about abandoning everything that makes you happy, in favor of filing taxes or something.”

“I wholeheartedly agree,” Jongin nodded, multi-tasking as he read the instruction manual and made sure they have all the parts.

“What’s left for us millennials besides reaction GIFs, coffee and/or wine addiction, and avocado toast?” Sehun rambled on, handing Jongin what looked like a completely unused toolbox that he had retrieved from another room.

Jongin laughed. “Avocado toast is delicious.”

“I know. Who gives a fuck about cliches.” Sehun smiled. He cut open the huge cardboard box with a boxcutter, and Jongin helped him remove the mattress first and set it aside against another wall. 

They spend the next hour chatting about anything and everything that comes to mind as they assemble the bed together, with Jongin carefully following the instructions and Sehun assisting whenever he can. When the bed was done and the mattress finally laid out on the frame, they high-fived, and stood with hands on their hips as they admired their handiwork.

“We make a great team, don’t we?” Sehun commented.

Jongin beamed. “Yeah. We do.”

“Oh no, it’s almost 11:30 already!" Sehun exclaimed after glancing at his watch. "You have work tomorrow, right? Sorry for keeping you up...”

“I do, but it’s fine, Sehun. It’ll just give me an excuse to drink an extra iced latte tomorrow morning.” Usually, he was in bed by this time, but it was nice spending time with Sehun and getting to know each other better.

“Oh, so you’re an iced latte kinda guy, huh?” Sehun said with a playful smile. “Noted.”

“Yup, Kim Iced Latte Jongin, that’s me. What about you?”

“Me? Um, iced americano, I guess?” Sehun looked thoughtful. “But between you and me? I’m not all that into coffee that much, it just gets the job done. If we’re talking non-alcoholic drinks, bubble tea is where it’s really at.”

Jongin quirked an eyebrow. “So you’re one of _those_ guys.”

“Hey! I thought this was supposed to be a no-judgment zone, Jongin.”

“I’m just messing with you. I love it, too. There’s a great Taiwanese mom & pop boba shop near K-town, have you been there yet?”

“Holy shit, no I haven’t. I’ve been craving it so badly, you have to take me.”

Jongin laughed, Sehun looked really desperate. “Why don’t we go tomorrow after work? I can meet you there?”

“Yes! I get out of school around 5:30. Assuming the principal doesn’t set up yet another teacher’s meeting last-minute.”

“That’s perfect, I’ll be done around six. But if you do have an unexpected meeting to go to, we can always reschedule.”

After helping Sehun find the address of the location, they promised to text each other the next day as soon as they clocked out. Jongin went to bed with the biggest smile on his face. 

If Jongin also looked up edging porn of guys that just so happened to have his neighbor’s body type - it was pure coincidence, and anyway, in the privacy of his own apartment, that was his business.

  


🙜

  


Even when Jongin’s alarm clock interrupted the pleasant dream he was having and he lost about two hours of sleep, he didn’t care. Today was going to be great. His boss, Mrs. Kwon, even noticed the spring in his step, commenting, "Well aren’t you in a good mood this morning!" when she passed by him in the photocopy room earlier.

“Are you finally getting laid?” Seulgi, Jongin’s favorite coworker, asked him in a whisper, leaning towards him from the cubicle over.

“Really, Seulgi?” 

“Answer my question.”

“I... just have plans after work. With a friend. Leave me alone.”

“A friend, you say.” Seulgi wiggled her eyebrows. 

Why was everyone around him so invested in his love life, or lack of it? Jongin wondered. He swatted her away and focused back on his Word doc.

The day seemed to go more slowly than usual. Every time Jongin was convinced a couple of hours passed by, he checked the clock to find out it had only been an hour. By the time six o’clock came around, Jongin was more than ready to go, and he was the first to clock out.

With rush hour traffic, it took him about thirty minutes to get to the boba shop. Sehun was already there, waiting on the outdoor bench right by the entrance. He was wearing another shirt and sweater vest combo, and this time his polo shirt was a shade of pink that complimented his skin tone perfectly. Sitting there on the bench, he looked angelic with the sun shining on him.

“Sehun! Sorry I took so long,” Jongin said, a little out of breath from rushing over there. 

“Don’t worry, I just got here like five minutes ago,” Sehun replied. He eyed Jongin's outfit appreciatively. “You look great in a suit, Jongin. You should be a model.”

Jongin almost choked. “Thanks.” He couldn’t decide if Sehun’s way of complimenting his friends was giving mixed signals, or maybe it was just Jongin’s problem for being so easily affected and not being able to tell the difference.

“No prob. Oh man, I’m so excited! I looked up the reviews on the way here, and I’m convinced this place is going to be everything I’ve ever dreamed of.”

Jongin laughed. “I hope it lives up to your expectations.” He opened the door for Sehun. “After you.” Sehun smiled at the gesture.

Sehun ordered melon and Jongin got his usual chocolate, but then Sehun rushed to pay the bill before Jongin could even get his wallet out. He laughed when he saw Jongin’s betrayed expression.

“Sehun, I was going to treat you. It’s your first time here,” Jongin pouted.

“It’s my way of saying thank you for helping me set up my bed and finally get a good night’s sleep,” Sehun replied. “You can treat me next time, okay?”

“Fine.” So there was going to be a next time...Jongin smiled to himself at that. It still made him feel bad that Sehun had already bought croissants and now bubble tea for him, while he hadn’t yet gifted him anything in return. Other than saving him from the pothole that first day, which wasn’t even that big of a deal, but Sehun was acting like Jongin saved his life or something. And he helped out with the bed, but Jongin didn’t see that as a big deal, either. It was fun spending time with Sehun - he didn’t do nice things for him just to expect something in return. 

They sat at a small table towards the back of the shop by a window. Jongin watched attentively as Sehun took his first sip of the melon bubble tea, and spent a few seconds chewing the boba. When Sehun ran his tongue along his cheek, Jongin swallowed and tried to think pure thoughts.

“What’s the verdict?” Jongin asked.

“Uh-mazing,” Sehun moaned. “Can I try yours?”

“Oh, uh, yeah, sure,” Jongin mumbled, still distracted by how pornographic Sehun’s moan had sounded as he pushed his drink closer to Sehun. He wasn’t the type who usually shared his drinks with anyone else, since it seemed kind of - intimate. Plus it was in one of those plastic vacuum-sealed containers with a straw, not a glass that Sehun could choose a different spot to sip from. He watched as Sehun sipped from the straw without hesitation.

“What the - the chocolate is even better!” Sehun cried. “I’ll have to order it next time...” he said sadly.

“You can drink more if you want,” Jongin offered.

“You’re letting me have more of your favorite flavor? Jongin, why are you like, the nicest guy ever?” Sehun groaned. “It’s not fair.”

Jongin blushed, not knowing how to respond to that. How was he supposed to say, _Maybe I’m being extra nice because I like you?_ When Sehun had his fill, Jongin sipped his own drink again, and his traitorous mind couldn’t help but daydream about kissing Sehun. Jongin was pushing 30, but somehow Sehun made him feel like a blushing teenager again.

After they both finished their drinks, they stepped outside as the sun was beginning to set.

“I know we only planned for bubble tea, but would you want to go somewhere else with me?” Sehun asked. “If you’re not doing anything else later, I mean.”

“I’d love to. I don’t have any other plans, so I’m all yours for the night.” Jongin belatedly realized he could’ve reworded that better, but when he looked at Sehun, he was smiling to himself. “Did you have something in mind?”

“Yeah,” Sehun said, looking up to meet his gaze. “I was looking up events happening today during my lunch break, and I saw that the Botanical Garden has this rose exhibition going on. So I bought two tickets online before it sold out for today. I was hoping you could come with me.”

Jongin nodded. “That sounds really cool. I’ve only been to the Botanical Garden a couple of times - mostly for field trips when I was in elementary school, and maybe once in high school. Even though I’ve been meaning to go again, I haven’t visited since. It looks like you just gave me the perfect opportunity.”

Sehun beamed. “I’m happy to hear that. I wasn’t sure if you’d be interested.”

 _I’m interested in what you’re into_ , Jongin thought. “Let me look up what train we need to take to get there.”

“Ah, no need. I actually looked it up already, while I was waiting for you,” Sehun replied.

“Oh?”

“I wasn’t sure if you were going to say yes, and I was just going to go myself, either way,” Sehun explained.

It made sense. He wanted to tell Sehun that if he ever needed a plus one, he would be there in a heartbeat, but Jongin chose to keep that to himself.

The subway car was packed, and Jongin’s entire body got pressed all up into Sehun’s business. Without any room to separate, their proximity during the several stops it to took to get to their destination left little to the imagination. Thankfully, neither of them mentioned it after they managed to squeeze out of the crowd to get off at their stop, but Jongin noticed Sehun looking flushed. Probably from all that body heat, as Jongin himself was sweating under his suit.

“I’m losing track of all the times you’ve paid for me already,” Jongin laughed as Sehun pulled out his phone to show his electronic tickets to the counter. 

“Jongin, don’t worry about it. Really,” Sehun insisted.

“Okay," he said reluctantly.

They took their time going through the exhibition and admiring the variety of roses on display. 

“Do you think roses really smell like poo?” Jongin wondered out loud as he watched Sehun carefully sniff the roses.

Sehun laughed so loudly a few other patrons turned their way. “An OutKast reference? Jongin, I knew I liked you for a reason. But it can, you know, in high doses. There's this organic compound called indole that's in certain flowers like jasmine, but it's also found in feces. So too much of it can smell like poop, but in low doses it smells flowery, and a little mysterious and sexy. That's part of why you're not supposed to put on too much perfume or cologne."

"That's really interesting. I didn't know that."

"Smell it, it's nice, right?" Sehun held the red rose by its stem, encouraging Jongin to step closer. 

With Sehun observing him so closely, Jongin felt self-conscious as he smelled the rose. It did smell good, in a way that was subtle as it was intoxicating, almost like an aphrodisiac. Oh shit, there was his mind running off again.

He heard the snap of a camera. “Did you just take a picture of me on your phone?” Jongin laughed.

“Yeah, I needed a contact picture for you,” Sehun said, smiling. “I’ll delete it if you don’t like it.” He showed Jongin the picture, and it was surprisingly a good picture of him. It was of his left profile, which Jongin always insisted was his best side, and the angle was perfect. Aside from plants, it seemed like Sehun had an eye for photography, too.

“I like it, you can keep it,” Jongin said, grinning. 

“Red really suits you,” Sehun commented softly, it seemed mostly to himself. 

“Can I take one of you, too?” Jongin asked. He didn’t have a contact picture for Sehun, either, but it was more of an excuse to have a picture of Sehun in general.

“Okay,” Sehun agreed, and he posed next to the roses.

Jongin took about ten pics from different angles, which Sehun kept laughing about.

“Don’t you think you have enough?” Sehun said, amused.

“Wait, just one more,” Jongin said, taking one last shot with Sehun laughing at him candidly. It was perfect. “Thanks for being my muse.”

Sehun blushed. 

By the time they got out of the exhibition, it was dark outside. There was a woman playing a hauntingly beautiful violin sonata on the subway platform, which Sehun and Jongin both got lost in as they waited for their train to arrive. When they had to leave, they left tips in her violin case.

“That was so beautiful,” Sehun said to him in a daze as they stepped on the train.

“Yeah,” Jongin agreed. “I’ll be thinking about it for a while.”

Luckily the rush hour traffic was over, so the ride back to their apartment was mostly empty. They sat beside one another - close enough for their thighs to touch, and they told each other stupid stories about work to pass the time. Sehun laughed about Jongin’s on-going prank war with Seulgi that was completely inspired by The Office. 

Back at their apartment, there was a brief moment after bidding Sehun goodnight when Jongin let his guard down and openly stared at his lips. When he snapped out of it Sehun was looking at him strangely, but he didn’t say anything. Feeling panicked, Jongin rushed to say goodnight _again_ , then quickly closed the door behind him, heart pounding. He hoped Sehun would forget this happened before the next time they saw each other.

  


🙜

  


For the next couple of days, Jongin attempted to distance himself from Sehun. Until now, he hadn’t really thought about how much his crush led to them texting on a daily basis, and meeting up as often as they did. Even though they’d only met over a month ago, it felt so natural to spend time together and get to know each other. He’d never felt this strong a pull to anyone before, even in his past relationships, let alone neighbors or otherwise. There was something about Sehun.

Jongin responded to his texts, of course, but he stopped replying back in less than a minute, and he didn’t expand on conversation as much as he did before. If Sehun noticed anything, he didn’t comment on it when they happened to run into each other in the building. Those random encounters were unavoidable, but Jongin did kind of feel like they ran into each other less in the elevators, too. Maybe this time it really was all in his head, since it had only been two weeks at most, and here he was already wishing he could see Sehun again without feeling guilty. 

Things were going fine enough until Wednesday of the following week, when there was a blackout after a particularly bad thunderstorm. It happened in the evening, thankfully after Jongin had gotten safely home from work. He was sitting in his living room watching Black Mirror when the flash of lightning lit up his entire room as if it were daytime. The crack of thunder followed a few seconds later, and then the power got cut.

“Great,” he muttered out loud.

Jongin used his phone's flashlight to search around his apartment for his actual flashlight, then lit the single candle he had on his coffee table with a match. Just as he finished doing that, suddenly there was loud knocking at his door, Jongin almost jumped out of his skin. Shining his flashlight, he opened the door to find a scared-looking Sehun. The hallway was pitch black.

“Oh thank God, you’re home,” Sehun said. “Do you mind if I stay with you until the power comes back on? I hate thunderstorms, and it sucks being alone in the dark.”

“Of course you can stay with me.” He ushered Sehun inside and closed the door, carefully leading him to the sofa with a hand loosely holding Sehun’s wrist. They managed to make it with minimal bumps into furniture.

“I’m so unprepared. I don’t even have a flashlight, other than my phone,” Sehun said. He was whispering now probably due to their sense of hearing being heightened in the dark, so Jongin matched his tone.

“Well, I guess that’s what your favorite neighbor is here for.”

“Bold of you to assume you’re my favorite,” Sehun said haughtily, but there was a smirk on his lips.

Jongin laughed quietly. The flickering candlelight kept casting soft shadows on Sehun’s beautiful face, in a way that made it even harder for Jongin not to feel things. All he could think about was how nice it would be cuddled up together with Sehun in a blanket burrito until the lights turned back on.

At Jongin's half-joking suggestion and Sehun's enthusiastic encouragement, they built a makeshift fort with the couch cushions, and some extra pillows and blankets Jongin had in his closet, and naturally that led to them telling each other stories about their childhood. The fort conjured up all these nostalgic memories Jongin had growing up, and Sehun shared a few personal stories of his own. Jongin learned Sehun’s parents had divorced when he was a teenager, and he had an older brother, but they stopped being as close after he had gotten married a few years back. Then Sehun got to talking about his job, and how much he loved kids - how they reminded him of his own childhood when things were simpler. He believed it was important to nurture their endless curiosity and excitement for life, so that they could grow up to be the kind of adults who never lost that spark of hope necessary to make the world a better place for everyone. It was why he had wanted to be a primary school teacher.

Jongin couldn’t recall the last time he’d made such an intimate, emotional connection with another person, and it felt right when Sehun moved to hold his hand in the dark. 

When power finally returned, the light from the lampshade and the loud volume from the TV turning back on felt jarringly intrusive. They were mostly quiet as Sehun helped Jongin deconstruct the fort, fold the blankets, and put the pillows back where they came from. But when Jongin walked him back to the door, it still felt like the spell hadn’t been broken. 

Sehun looked like he had wanted to tell him something more as they stood there at the doorway, but all they said was goodnight.

  


🙜

  


After that day with the blackout, there was a palpable change between them, and not necessarily in the way Jongin had hoped. 

Their run-ins in the building were few and far-between, and Jongin belatedly found out it was because Sehun has been staying later at work for a new afterschool program. When they did run into each other, Sehun seemed more cold, but Jongin couldn’t exactly pinpoint what differed in their encounters now. Sehun was always polite to him, and still made the usual small talk (that was how he found out about the afterschool program), but something about their interactions felt distant. On top of that, Sehun stopped texting him as often. This was what he had wanted, but it felt wrong now.

“How are things with your neighbor-crush?” Moonkyu asked Jongin over lunch. They had met up at their favorite sandwich shop for their lunch break without Wonshik, who had some romantic lunch date with his girlfriend.

“Don’t call him that, he has a name,” Jongin said irritably.

“Wow, testy. I take it things aren’t going well with Sehun then.”

Jongin sighed. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to snap at you. But you’re right. Things are just… weird between us now.”

“Have you told him you’re interested in him?”

“No, knowing I like him would make him really uncomfortable. I told you this already.” Jongin paled. “Oh fuck, maybe that’s why he’s been avoiding me. He figured out I liked him and now he’s all weirded out. Shit.”

“Okay, wait, we need to backtrack. What exactly happened between you two? Talk to me.”

Jongin explained all their interactions over the past two months, and when he finished, Moonkyu facepalmed. “I know you’re usually good at reading people, but sometimes you really fucking suck and this is one of those times.”

“Hey, I thought you were supposed to be on my side,” Jongin whined.

“I am! I’m trying to help you get your head out of your ass,” Moonkyu retorted. “Love really is blind.”

“It’s not love, we barely know each other. But I just… I feel this connection with him, I can’t explain it,” Jongin sighed. “And if I got this all wrong, what’s your interpretation then, genius?”

“Let me put it this way. It’s not fair for you to assume shit about him without asking him directly first and act accordingly, and then be surprised when he mirrors your actions.”

Jongin nodded, letting Moonkyu’s words sink in.

“From what you’ve told me, you’ve been sending him mixed signals, bro. I would’ve given you better advice back at the bar that first time Wonshik and I met him, but you were being intentionally vague about him, and I know it’s because you really do like him. But I’m telling you, it was already obvious he was interested in you back then.”

“Really? How could you tell?” 

“He was giving you the fucking heart eyes from across the room. And the way he invited you to walk back to your apartment together? You both looked like teenagers going on your first date. That shit was so disgusting...ly sweet.”

Jongin smiled to himself, remembering that night vividly and how he had wanted to hold Sehun’s hand.

“And until you told me, I didn’t know he’s been putting moves on you _first_ on _multiple_ occasions. You’re great at reading the room, but when it’s about you, you get so dense, it’s unbelievable.”

“Sorry to interrupt your amazing pep talk, but our lunch break is almost over,” Jongin pointed out.

“Shit, look how invested I get into bettering your life.” Moonkyu looked at the time and stuffed the rest of his sandwich into his mouth, then chugged the rest of his coffee. When he finished, he looked up at Jongin. “I’m serious, Nini. We’re adults now. Just _talk_ to him. It seems like he knows you well enough to know you’re the nicest, most respectful dude ever. So worst case scenario, he turns you down, you respect his boundaries, and never bother him with your feelings ever again. Best case scenario? Well, let me not jinx it,” Moonkyu laughed. “But I would bet money on one being more likely than the other.”

Jongin felt touched by how highly his best friend thought of him, and even if he wasn’t entirely convinced, he had to believe in Moonkyu enough to consider his advice.

“I’ll believe in you believing in me,” Jongin finally decided.

“God, you’re such an anime nerd,” Moonkyu replied. “Maybe I should warn Sehun about what he’s getting into.”

"Don't you _dare_ ," Jongin laughed and cuffed him on the head.

  


🙜

  


The next day, Jongin was chilling on his sofa when his phone rang. It was Sehun, and he scrambled to answer the call before it ended.

“Hey Jongin!”

“Sehun, what’s up?”

“Sorry to spring this on you so suddenly, but I have a huge favor to ask. I’m going on vacation to Japan with Chanyeol for two weeks and wanted to know if you could plant sit for me while I’m away? I know it’s a lot to ask, and I can pay you for your time if you can do it.”

“Japan, huh? Nice! When will you be away? I’ll probably be free, but I’ll check my schedule to make sure.”

“The week after next, from the 14th to the 28th? I’m sorry, I know it’s so soon, but I didn’t think my vacation would get approved, and it was. I just found out today.”

“14th to 28th...let’s see, yeah, I’ll be home,” Jongin said after checking his calendar. “I can do it for sure. And no need to pay me, Sehun. I’ll be your plant sitter for free. That’s what friends are for, right? Plus I already owe you for all those times you’ve paid the bill...”

“Ugh, have I told you you’re the best? Because you are.”

“Thanks...” Sehun’s candor was something Jongin would likely never get used to, though he was getting dangerously addicted to his neighbor’s complimenting ways. But a part of him deflated when he considered that Sehun could simply be this nice to everyone.

“Are you home right now? Can I come over? I seriously want to hug you. As a thank you.”

Jongin felt butterflies just thinking about it. “Yeah I’m home, come on over.” 

Jumping off the couch, he cleaned up what he could of the mess on the coffee table, and straightened out his clothes so he didn’t look like a complete slob. He was wearing a muscle tee and his favorite sweatpants (thank God he was wearing pants this time). When he heard knocking, he ran to the door, then checked his reflection in the mirror to fix his hair last minute before greeting Sehun with a casual grin.

“Hey, you.”

“Hey, yourself,” Sehun replied with a smile.

“Come in, I was just watching a movie. Have you eaten?” Sehun stepped inside, closing the door behind him. Jongin started walking down the hall, but Sehun’s hand on his wrist stopped him.

“Wait, hold on, um. Can I hug you first? I meant it when I said I wanted one.” When Jongin nodded, Sehun pulled him close to wrap his arms around his torso and rest his chin on Jongin’s shoulder. It was the most intimate hug Jongin had in.... a while, really. His arms moved on their own accord to hug Sehun back just as tightly. He wasn’t sure how long they stood in the hallway like that, but when Sehun pulled away, Jongin missed the body heat that left with him.

“That was. Really nice,” Jongin mumbled.

“Yeah,” Sehun said softly. “Sorry, I’m kind of clingy… I love hugs. Plus we haven’t seen each other in a while, with me getting busier with work, and all.”

“Hey, I won’t say no to free hugs,” Jongin replied. “Are you saying you missed me?”

“Is that so hard to believe? I like spending time with you, Jongin,” Sehun said honestly.

“Same here.” Jongin grinned. “So did you eat dinner yet?”

“No, not yet, I got home like thirty minutes before I called you.”

“So then stay and eat dinner with me. I ordered delivery, and I still have a ton of food left.”

“Ooh.” Sehun clapped his hands together. “Sounds like a plan.”

They spent the rest of the evening together on the couch while they ate pad thai and watched South Park reruns on TV. It was the most fun Jongin had this week, even if it wasn’t necessarily exciting in terms of novel activities. Just some good, old completely platonic Netflix and chill. He hoped Sehun didn’t secretly find him boring.

In the back of his mind, Moonkyu’s voice nagged him about bringing up the talk he was supposed to be having with his favorite neighbor. He kept waiting for the right time to bring it up, and it never presented itself. Before he knew it, Sehun had to go back to his apartment, apologizing that he had to get up early the next day for an early morning school assembly.

After Sehun had left, Jongin decided that he’d wait until _after_ Sehun came back from vacation to tell him his feelings. Now that Sehun asked him for a huge favor, he didn’t want to make things weird for him, as he’d be forced to find other accommodations for his plant if things went south. Yeah, that was the plan. He could do this.

  


🙜

  


The morning after Sehun left for his trip, Jongin let himself into his neighbor’s apartment with the key Sehun had given him the night before. He watered the plant, which was sitting near the sliding doors that led the balcony. Satisfied with a job well done, Jongin returned back to his apartment and finished getting ready for work.

He didn’t return again until a few days later, as Sehun told him the plant didn’t need frequent watering. Imagine his devastation when he found the plant had _died_. Most of the leaves had wilted or fallen off, and the stem looked black and rotten. How in the world did this even happen? His brown thumb was capable of so much destruction...

Oh fuck, Sehun was going to kill him. Jongin had unwittingly murdered his plant baby. There went him being Sehun’s favorite neighbor. It was fun while it lasted. 

“I’m so sorry,” he whispered to the dead plant. Shit, this made him realize it was his first time talking to it - no, her, he corrected himself after remembering how Sehun referred to his baby, and of course it was when she had died. What sort of foster plant dad was he? While Sehun hadn’t given him specific instructions to converse with his plant, he’d read somewhere that talking to plants could be beneficial to their development or something. Maybe this was all karma. The greatest irony was how he had saved the plant when Sehun was first moving in, only for her to die by his own hands weeks later. Sometimes you really do live long enough to be the villain, Jongin realized, feeling morose.

Picking up the pot, Jongin tried to decide what to do. She deserved a proper burial… yes that sounded right. Then he had to buy a replacement. Fuck. Where did one even buy plants around here? He only knew the florist around the block and those were all cut flowers. Would he have to order one online? What if the delivery got delayed and it failed to arrive before Sehun came back? No, he’d have to buy a plant in person to avoid that risk.

Resting the pot on the kitchen counter, Jongin pulled out his phone to search for places he could buy potted houseplants. He found a gardening depot that was out of the way, but it wasn’t like he had a choice.

Then he buried the dead plant in the plot next to their apartment behind some bushes, after making sure there were no witnesses in the parking lot. Hopefully none of his neighbors were looking out their windows wondering what the fuck he was doing as he stood by the buried plant to pay his respects. “I know we didn’t know each other for very long. But I did my best to care for you. I hope you are in a better place now. Rest in peace.”

Two hours later at the gardening depot, Jongin realized he didn't have the faintest clue as to what kind of plant she was. As far as he remembered, Sehun hadn’t told him any specifics. It probably slipped Sehun’s mind, as he was busy finalizing details about his vacation. Maybe what he should’ve done was ask more questions before Sehun had left!

Jongin spent a long time wandering through the aisles with leafy houseplants, overwhelmed with the variety of choices. They all looked pretty much the same to him. Green, and lots of leaves. Well, at least he knew she wasn’t a flowering plant. Or was she? Fuck, he was screwed. Unable to come to a decision, he randomly picked one called a “pothos” that appeared close enough to what he remembered the plant looked like before the murder. Those were simpler times. He prayed for the best. On the ride home, he protected the pothos with his life. Public transportation was crazy and unpredictable - he couldn’t risk another death in his hands.

Finally he was able to return to Sehun’s apartment and repot the pothos into the same pot which the old (dead, and buried! Jongin’s brain reminded him) plant was in. He wasn’t exactly sure what he was doing, but he added enough soil until it stood upright in the container, then called it a day. Damn, gardening was tiring as hell. How did Sehun do this in addition to keeping up with the teacher workload? He was amazing.

Jongin video-called Wonshik and Moonkyu later that night, explaining his whole dilemma, and predictably they laughed their heads off. Then they promised to pray for the rest of the plant’s survival.

“Wow, thanks guys. So supportive.”

“Damn right we’re supportive, you need every prayer you can get.”

As usual, they were right.

  


🙜

  


A few more days passed without any more disasters, all thanks to Jongin’s hypervigilance… or more like paranoia. Basically he memorized the instructions that the pothos had come with and followed it to a T. He also made sure to talk to the plant, and maybe that helped, too. It helped Jongin, actually, as the act itself felt cathartic. 

On the Tuesday morning before Sehun’s return, Jongin woke up and checked his phone to find two KakaoTalk notifications from Sehun, sent while he was sleeping due to their time difference. He was surprised to find they were pictures - the first was a selfie, except it was just Sehun’s eyes, and behind him, a view of the beach which took up most of the frame. It seemed so Sehun to take a selfie like that. He would’ve doubted the picture was even meant for him, but there was a second one of Sehun’s breakfast, presumably at his hotel, of a croissant and a cup of coffee. It was captioned, _This made me think of you ;)_

After saving the two photos to his phone, it took a few minutes for Jongin to decide on a response. He settled on _Haha. Hope you’re having fun_. A part of him had expected Sehun to ask about his plant first, but since he hadn’t, didn’t that mean Sehun trusted him without question? Fuck, that made Jongin feel guilty. Guilt _ier_ , rather.

Sehun didn’t message him again until that Friday night. He told him that his plane had landed, and asked if Jongin wanted to go get dinner with him.

  


You’re not tired from the plane?

  


_Nah, not yet at least. I don’t like airplane food, so I didn’t eat anything and now I’m starving_

  


Airplane food is nasty. But yes let’s do it, I’m hungry, too. Are you coming home first?

  


_Yeah, to drop off my luggage. We can decide where to eat after_

  


Okay see you soon

  


  


When Sehun knocked on his door an hour and a half later, he looked pristinely handsome, not like the sleep-rumpled mess Jongin usually was after a long trip. His brown eyes shone with the excitement that came after a good vacation. It was a good look on him.

Before Jongin could think about it, Sehun went right in for a hug - yeah, apparently this was just a thing for them now, awesome. He hugged Sehun back, his fingers lightly brushing the soft hair at the nape of Sehun’s neck. God, how did he smell this good even after a plane ride? 

“How was your trip?” Jongin asked after they pulled away.

“It was great, just what I needed,” Sehun replied. “I’ll tell you more at dinner. Nice haircut, by the way. It looks really good on you.”

“Thanks.” It surprised him that Sehun had noticed the undercut he had gotten earlier that week. “So are you craving anything?”

“I’m craving everything,” Sehun said honestly.

“Fair enough,” Jongin laughed. “Okay, let me take you to my favorite Peruvian restaurant.”

“Ooh. I love it already."

The restaurant was especially crowded on a Friday night, but since it was only the two of them, they managed to get a table in the back. It was a tight fit, with the two couples on either side of them close enough to hear each other’s conversation.

“I can see this place is popular,” Sehun commented after they were seated. “I just know the food is gonna be good.”

“It is,” Jongin said confidently.

“Do you take all the ladies here? Or gentlemen,” Sehun adds. 

Jongin blushed. “N-no. I - I haven’t really, uh. Dated anyone in a while.” That was embarrassing to admit out loud, and he hoped Sehun didn’t think there was anything wrong with him because of it.

“Oh?” Sehun seemed surprised. “I see.”

Their waiter handed them menus, and they decided to order a couple of entrees they could share. Sehun absolutely loved the ceviche de camarones, lomo saltado, and pollo a la brasa, all of Jongin’s personal favorites. 

“Damn, you sure know how to wine and dine a guy,” Sehun said, rubbing his full belly underneath his shirt as they leisurely walked home after they finished their meal. “Gosh, I’m so full. I’m going to sleep so well tonight.”

“I told you I know a few places,” Jongin said, smirking. “And I owed you for all those times you treated me.”

“Hey, it wasn’t that many times,” Sehun pointed out. “And you’ve already helped me so much without ever asking for anything in return.” He stopped to hold Jongin’s wrist, looking at him seriously under the light from the street lamp. “I don’t want you to feel like this… this is transactional, you know? If I do something nice for you, it’s because I want to, and you don’t owe me anything because of it. Isn’t that why you do nice things for me, too?”

It felt like Sehun was asking something else, but Jongin couldn’t focus. Not with Sehun looking at him like that. It made him want to tell him everything right then and there, but at the last second, he chickened out. “I… yeah. Yeah, that’s exactly how it is for me, too.”

“So we’re on the same page now.” Sehun smiled and let go of his wrist.

They walked back to their apartment with Sehun sharing more stories about his vacation with Chanyeol. He mentioned that part of the reason for the trip was Chanyeol visiting his Japanese girlfriend, who had moved back to Tokyo after college to pursue her modeling career. So sometimes Sehun was third-wheeling, other times he spent the day by himself, but it was still really fun. Going to the onsen was hands-down his favorite part of the trip, aside from the amazing food.

When they got off the elevator, Jongin thought they’d say goodbye out there in the hallway, but Sehun invited him in for a nightcap. Wanting to spend more time with him, Jongin readily agreed, but as soon as he stepped inside Sehun’s apartment, the blood drained from his face when he remembered that he had killed Sehun’s plant baby and this was the scene of the crime. How had he forgotten such a crucial detail all night? Instead he was busy freaking out about when he was going to confess to Sehun. It seemed impossible now that he had to break the news that he couldn’t do the one task Sehun had entrusted him with while he was on vacation. How could he be trusted with a whole ass relationship? Assuming Sehun even liked him, which he would deeply regret now.

Sehun had him sit down on the couch while he grabbed two beers from the fridge. As he waited, Jongin sweated bullets wondering if and when his neighbor would notice something wrong with his precious plant. He probably wouldn’t notice tonight because it was dark in the room with only the mood lights on (or so he hoped), but the anticipation was killing him. Lying to him felt really shitty. Jongin hated liars and fakes, and here he was becoming the type of person he despised. His crush on Sehun really changed him in more ways than one.

By the time Sehun walked into the living room with the beers, Jongin was ready to expose the entire operation. 

“Sehun? I have something important I need to tell you.” Jongin sat with his palms on his knees, looking very grave.

Setting the beers down on the coffee table, Sehun took a seat on the couch next to Jongin. “...Okay. What is it?”

Jongin took a deep breath before letting it out slowly. Honesty was the best policy, he told himself before looking Sehun in the eye. “Your plant is dead! I’m sorry!” There, he said it. 

Sehun’s face was expressionless for a moment, before he covered his mouth with his hand, hiding what seemed very much like...a laugh.

“Are you…? Why are you laughing?” Jongin asked, confused. “I killed your plant baby...it was an accident, I swear. She looked fine when I watered her the day after you left,” he rushed to explain. “But then when I checked on her a couple of days later, she was dead. All the leaves fell off. I don’t know what happened! I’m cursed with plants, I should’ve just told you,” Jongin said, covering his face with his hands. “I’m sorry you trusted me.”

“Jongin, it’s okay,” Sehun said, scooting closer and resting a hand on Jongin’s shoulder. “Thanks for telling me, though. Um, so what’s that plant over there?” He pointed to the pothos that was poorly impersonating Sehun's dead plant in the corner.

“Uh, about that. I panicked and buried your plant outside next to the apartment, and then bought a new one to replace her.” Jongin scratched the back of his head. “It seemed like a good idea at the time. Sorry.”

“I told you it’s fine, Jongin, apology accepted. It's funny how you managed to kill my plant. She's one of those hardy houseplants that don’t require much sunlight or water.”

“Shit, did I overwater her that first day? Is that what happened?”

“Maybe,” Sehun shrugged. “But it happens to the best of us. I know I said she was my first plant, but what I really meant was she was the first one that survived longer than a week. I had quite a few mishaps before her.”

“Fuck, that makes me feel even worse, she was your labor of love. I’m really sorry.”

Sehun smiled. “You said you ‘buried’ her by the apartment right? I meant what I said about her being hardy - we can go rescue her tomorrow. I’m sure I’ll be able to salvage some parts and she’ll be good as new in a few weeks. With some extra TLC, of course.”

“To summarize, I fucked up more by getting rid of her, huh?” 

“You’re a disaster, but it’s cute,” Sehun laughed. “To be honest, I’m more interested in the new plant you bought,” he said. He got up and turned on another lamp closest to the balcony. As he got a closer look at the new plant, he doubled up in laughter. “Oh my god, Jongin. This is a completely different kind of plant, like not even in the same family. Amazing. But I love it.”

Jongin groaned, covering his face. “I didn’t know what kind of plant she was. I kind of had a breakdown at the gardening depot.”

“I can imagine,” Sehun giggled. “This is a pothos, right?”

“Yeah…”

“The one I had was a calathea, which is like... known for being almost impossible to kill. But you proved it's still possible,” he laughed. “Sorry, I’m joking, we’ll try to save her tomorrow. It’ll be fine, Jongin.” 

“If you say so,” Jongin said quietly.

“Pothos are great houseplants, too. So thanks for picking a suitable ‘replacement’.”

“I can’t tell if you’re mocking me or not,” Jongin whined.

“I’m sorry, I like teasing you,” Sehun said with a grin. “It’s really cute how you get all flustered.”

“Are you... flirting with me?” Jongin asked before he could help himself. Being in limbo like this was torture.

“I have been since I first met you, but thanks for finally noticing, Jongin.” Sehun smiled.

“Shit, are you serious?”

“Is that um, okay?” Sehun asked. “I don’t mean to make you uncomfortable. I can stop if you are.”

“It’s okay. More than okay, I mean,” Jongin rushed to say. “I like you, Sehun. I just wasn’t sure if you were interested. I didn’t want to make things weird.”

“We’re so silly,” Sehun said, laughing a little. “I kept dropping hints, but I don’t know, I was getting mixed signals from you. Right when I was sure you were interested in me, you'd pull away. Then I worried you were just being friendly, and I was reading everything wrong. So I tried to tone it down because it was nice just being friends with you, too.”

“So what changed?” Jongin asked stepping into Sehun’s personal space.

“I know we only just met, but somehow it feels like I've known you for even longer," Sehun says, looking deeply into Jongin's eyes. "During my trip, I found myself thinking about you a lot, even though you were thousands of miles away. I'd see something random that reminded me of you, and then I'd miss these little things like your smile, or the way you laugh. So I told myself I had to confess when I came back, and that’s why I messaged you as soon as I got off the plane.”

Jongin felt a warmth of relief rushing through him, and a grin spread on his face. “So distance makes the heart grow fonder?”

“Something like that,” Sehun replied, looking shy.

“So...where do we go from here?”

“We can take it slow. And just do whatever feels right, for the both of us,” Sehun said softly. “Let’s not overthink it, okay?” 

“Okay.” Jongin nodded. “Overthinking? Never did that in my life.”

They laughed for a bit until Sehun mellowed down, looking at him seriously. “So, um, for starters, I’ve really been wanting to kiss you.”

“Guh, come over here.” He pulled Sehun in by his shirt, and his hands fell to his waist as he kissed him. Sehun’s lips were already parted, so the kiss quickly turned heated as Sehun darted his tongue out, licking right into Jongin’s mouth. 

It’d been way too long since Jongin was kissed this passionately, if ever. Sehun kept making these little sounds like he couldn’t get enough of Jongin’s taste, and it was lighting Jongin up from the inside. They stumbled towards the couch, and Jongin ended up on top, lowering his head to suck the skin along Sehun’s jaw, his neck, and the mole he’d been obsessed with ever since he first noticed it. He remembered to be careful with visible hickeys, especially given Sehun’s occupation, so he moved down further to press soft kisses across Sehun’s torso, and was delighted to find another mole there, too. He laved his tongue across a nipple, then kissed his way down to Sehun's belly button.

“That tickles,” Sehun mumbled, laughing as he tried to push Jongin's head away.

“Sorry, I’ll stop.” He smiled. “Let me suck your big dick, though.”

“Oh my god, Jongin.”

“Too forward?”

“Nope,” Sehun grinned. “I like this side of you. Have you, um, done this before?”

“A few times. But just to warn you, it’s uh… it’s been a while.”

“Remember what I said earlier?” Sehun reminded him.

“Don’t overthink it,” Jongin repeated, smiling as Sehun nodded. Without another word, he swooped up to give Sehun a quick kiss before going down on his knees, undoing the button on Sehun’s pants and pulling down the zipper. 

Sehun moaned at the feel of Jongin’s breath through the fabric of his underwear, already wet with precome.

“So you’re a briefs guy, huh?” Jongin commented as he nosed and licked along the length of Sehun’s cock, which was rapidly chubbing up under Jongin’s attention.

“Y-yeah. Better support than boxers,” Sehun replied in huffed breaths.

The thought of Sehun being so hung that he needed to wear briefs was seriously hot. He stopped to pull Sehun’s pants and underwear down, with Sehun aiding him by lifting his hips up, and let them pool around Sehun’s ankles. 

“Do you have a condom?” Jongin asked, stroking Sehun to full hardness. Seeing Sehun’s dick for the first time wasn’t unlike a spiritual experience. Jongin doubted he could fit all of him into his mouth, he was huge. 

“Nn, y-yeah,” Sehun mumbled, momentarily distracted by Jongin’s hand on him. “Check my back pocket.”

“Knew you were going to get lucky tonight, huh?” Jongin teased.

“Shut up. I just like to be, um. Prepared!” Sehun defended himself. “It’s flavored,” he added.

Jongin grinned and fished out the condom from Sehun’s jeans and carefully rolled it on. Eager to finally get Sehun’s cock in his mouth, he gave a few kitten licks at the head before stuffing what he could into his mouth. When it hit the back of his throat, he moaned, loving the feeling of his mouth being so stretched open. The condom tasted like pina colada, which was certainly a new one for him in terms of condom flavors.

“Oh fuck, Jongin,” Sehun groaned, his fingers carding into Jongin’s hair.

Jongin lost track of time as he bobbed his head up and down Sehun’s length, his hand steadily stroking around the base. 

“That’s so good. Jongin, fuck, I think I’m gonna come…”

“Then come,” he encouraged, staring up at Sehun’s mouth hanging open from the pleasure. Jongin tightened his grip a little more, switching to an up and down screwing motion from the tip of Sehun’s cock back to the base. Sehun’s face scrunched up as he came, groaning long and low as he filled up the condom. It took a few seconds for him to recover, then he leaned forward to pull off the condom, tie it off, and toss it in the wastebin by the couch.

“C’mere, it’s your turn,” Sehun said, pulling Jongin up to sit on the couch. 

Jongin followed in a daze, moving to lay down lengthwise on the sofa as Sehun climbed over him. His mouth was sore from taking Sehun in his mouth, and he groaned when Sehun’s knee brushed up against his erection, still rock hard in his jeans.

“Tell me what you want,” Sehun said into his mouth, kissing him gently.

Jongin held the back of his head, dragging Sehun closer to make out for a while longer. “As much as I want your cock in my ass, what you said earlier...you’re right, we should take it slow for now,” Jongin decided, though his body was fighting for the complete opposite.

“‘Kay,” Sehun replied, biting softly at Jongin’s bottom lip. “Yeah, whatever you want.”

“I still want you inside me tonight, though,” Jongin said, and Sehun perked up at that. “Can you fuck me with your fingers?”

“Hell yeah,” Sehun replied, grinning deviously. “You don’t have to ask me twice.” He kissed Jongin again on the lips, then again on his left cheek when Jongin smiled. “Did I tell you your dimple turns me on? Because it does.”

Jongin chuckled. “I’m honored.”

“Hold on just a sec, I’ll go get another condom and some lube,” Sehun said.

Jongin nodded, and as he waited, he took off his pants and boxers in one go. Putting two fingers into his mouth, he generously coated them with saliva before slowly opening himself up. Yeah, he was impatient, more than ready to get the ball rolling before Sehun’s return.

When Sehun came back a few minutes later, he groaned at the sight that greeted him: Jongin on his back with both knees bent, feet planted on the sofa cushions as he scissored himself open with two fingers. His cock looked painfully flushed, laying heavy on his stomach, and a light sheen of sweat coated his body from being so worked up.

“You’re so fucking hot,” Sehun said, one knee on the couch as he helped Jongin scoot up so his head lay on the armrest, and he placed one of the couch pillows at the small of Jongin’s back to prop his ass up for easier access. “Comfortable?” Sehun asked when he was done.

“Five stars, excellent service,” Jongin replied. “Now hurry up and get your fingers in me.”

“So demanding,” Sehun said, amused. Jongin hissed as Sehun rolled the condom on his erection, he was so sensitive and badly needed to cum. Sehun covered his fingers with lube, then prodded Jongin’s hole with his index finger, circling it a few times before sticking it all the way in.

“You can add another,” Jongin grunted out.

“Okay.” He inserted two, then three fingers now, and Jongin groaned at the stretch, even with his earlier prep. It felt really good having someone else fingering him after so long, and knowing it was Sehun made him feel hot all over. His leg jerked when Sehun found his prostate, and he had to bite his lip not to yell out.

“Found it,” Sehun said, delight in his voice as if he found the jackpot or something. He switched tactics, alternating between quick stabs of his fingers and gently massaging Jongin’s prostate. Using his other hand, he began to stroke Jongin's cock, thumbing roughly against the slit. It was the perfect amount of friction, and Jongin knew he was going to cum soon.

“Sehun, nngh, I’m close," Jongin whimpered, his breath hitching.

Mindless with pleasure, Jongin raised his hips off of the pillow, moving to meet Sehun's fingers fucking into him as Sehun switched to deepthroating Jongin's cock. He imagined how good it would feel to have Sehun’s mouth on his hole, or even better, his cock buried inside him, filling him up with his come. And with that thought, he came harder than he could ever remember, vision momentarily whiting out as he emptied into the condom. Sehun was lightly stroking Jongin’s member through the comedown of his orgasm, and with his other hand he continued to gently fuck his fingers in and out of Jongin’s loose hole.

“Mmn,” Jongin moaned, his head lolling to the side. Maybe he drooled a little bit onto Sehun’s sofa - he’d be embarrassed about that later. 

“Your O face is so hot,” Sehun commented, clearly smug with himself as he removed his fingers. He grabbed some tissues from the box on the coffee table to wipe his fingers off, then tossed them in the trash.

Jongin chuckled, too tired to move yet. “Yours is sexy, too.”

Sehun grinned. “Let me get you a washcloth, be right back.”

When he heard the sink running, Jongin sat up with monumental effort, tied his condom off and threw it in the same waste bin he saw Sehun dump his into earlier. He promptly laid back down in his previous position, too exhausted to sit up.

Returning with a warm washcloth, Sehun helped Jongin get cleaned up, then dropped the used cloth on the floor. “Scoot over,” he said quietly, then crawled into the tiny space Jongin had left for him - it wasn’t like there was much room on the couch. It required Sehun to lay on his side, draping his leg over Jongin’s body. Jongin decided he liked that very much. After sex cuddling? Awesome.

Sehun touched Jongin’s chin and gently guided him to face him. They stared into each other’s eyes for a while, smiling like idiots until they both laughed, for no reason at all.

“So, that was amazing,” Sehun said, kissing him chastely on the lips.

“Yeah,” Jongin agreed. “Good to know we, uh. Have a lot of chemistry in that department.”

“Mhm. I’d say we have chemistry in all the departments,” Sehun added.

“It feels good to know you like me for me,” Jongin said more seriously, his voice quieter. “And you know, that it’s not just sex for us.”

Sehun smiled, reaching over to grab Jongin’s hand and tangle their fingers together. “It feels good for me, too. I'm so happy whenever I'm with you."

Touched by Sehun’s admission, he squeezed Sehun’s hand, nosing along Sehun’s cheek before he pressed a soft kiss there. 

They fell asleep on the couch, and Jongin woke up the next morning with Sehun spooning the hell out of him. Sehun's body weight on him was comforting, until Jongin suddenly panicked, thinking it was a work day and he had missed his alarm. But Sehun placed a hand on his chest, urging him to settle. 

“It’s Saturday,” Sehun mumbled from where his face was pressed up against Jongin’s shoulder. “Go back to sleep, silly.”

Even if he was half-asleep, Sehun immediately sensed what Jongin was feeling, and knew just how to calm him down. Relaxing back into Sehun’s embrace, Jongin closed his eyes, a smile on his face as he wondered how he had gotten so lucky to have Sehun in his arms.

  


🙜

  


The next couple of months flew by, and for Jongin, getting to spend so much time with Sehun was a living dream. Their apartments being next to each other was crazy convenient, as more often than not, they were spending the night at each other’s place because Sehun hated sleeping alone. But it was still early in their relationship, and they were far from moving in together (not like they could anyway with their one year leases, even if they just wanted to save on rent), so it was nice to have their own spaces when they needed time to themselves. 

Wanting to share Sehun’s interest in gardening, Jongin signed up to volunteer at their local community garden together with Sehun. In the span of three months, Jongin learned a lot not just about how to properly grow and care for many basic types of plants, but also about stuff like composting and beekeeping, as the community garden was home to a colony of bees. He and Sehun were limited with their balcony space, so it was a great opportunity to really get down and dirty. Sehun's apartment had quite a few more indoor houseplants now, and he started growing some herbs and vegetables on the balcony. With practice, Jongin proved to Sehun that he could be trusted with his plants again, which had become something of a running joke between them (Sehun was miraculously able to save the calathea, and the pothos was doing very well under Sehun _and_ Jongin's care, thank you very much). Sometimes Moonkyu and Wonshik even stopped by to help, as they were always excited for the opportunity to hang out with Sehun, who easily became close with them, too.

Today Jongin made plans to meet with Sehun straight after work, at that same bubble tea shop Jongin had recommended when they had first met; they now fondly referred to it as their first date that they didn't know was a date. When he got there, he found Sehun waiting on the bench outside, reminding him vividly of that day of the exhibition, and as he got closer he saw something in his hand.

“Sehuna,” he called out as he approached him. 

Sehun stood up to greet him, and with a hand around Jongin's waist, he pulled him in for an incredibly sensual kiss that left Jongin a little winded.

“Wow.”

Sehun grinned. “This is for you,” he said, handing him the single red rose he had been holding, wrapped in clear packaging.

“It’s beautiful. Thank you,” Jongin said, lifting it up to his nose to smell the petals. “What’s the occasion?”

"On the way here, I passed by a sidewalk vendor selling them and it made me think of you," Sehun explained. "Roses - they just suit you."

Sehun had this way of stating things so matter-of-factly, but Jongin knew him well enough by now to guess at what he meant. As he looked at the rose again, Jongin felt a swell of emotion rush through him. He held it close to his heart as he walked through the door Sehun was holding open for him, enjoying the warmth from Sehun's hand on the small of his back, guiding him inside.

If Jongin had learned anything about gardening, it was the importance of taking life one day at a time, but believing in the future, too. Planting a seed and nurturing it was a promise for something more. Maybe it was too soon for either of them to vocalize it, yet - but they felt it just the same. 

There was fun in figuring out all these non-verbal ways they could communicate that felt like wandering through the unspoken hope of an entire garden full of roses.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! btw, the anime reference was to Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann, and this is the [violin sonata](https://youtu.be/YVA425s43N8?t=0m13s) [Violin and Piano Sonata Op. 34 in A minor (1896) by Amy Beach] they heard on the subway


End file.
